The aim of this research is to develop a detailed description and a substantive theory which pertain to sociological aspects of the nursing staff's interaction with hospitalized patients whose care involves medical machinery. The focus will be on three general areas: 1) relations between patients and the attending staff, 2) relations between staff members and the patients's family and 3) realations among the staff members themselves. Fieldwork and interview data will be gathered on surgical, medical, obstetrical and pediatric services, as well as specialty services where the use of machinery is prominent (i.e., ICU, CCI, ICN, and kidney dialysis units). A variety of situations involving machinery as it relates to nursing care will be studied. Theoretical sampling will be utilized for data collection. We expect that the findings will be highly relevant to nursing practice and education especially, but also relevant to medical practice and education.